DOCTORS: a computational framework for photon transport simulation in X -ray radiography and tomography based on the discrete ordinates method

Abstract: Accurately simulating photon transport is crucial for non-destructive testing and medical diagnostic applications using X-ray radiography and computed tomography (CT). Solving a discretized form of the linear Boltzmann equation is a computationally efficient technique for simulating photon transport. We have developed a software package, called DOCTORS, which solves the linear Boltzmann equation using the discrete ordinates method. The computational framework and its GPU implementation are described in detail. The accuracy of DOCTORS simulations was verified by quantitative comparisons to Monte Carlo simulations. Photon fluence distributions, as calculated by DOCTORS, agreed well with Monte Carlo simulations, with near real-time computation speed.